The Alien Memory👽

Episode 30 - Max Explains👽

"I have learned that when sadness comes to visit me, all I can do is say "I see you". I spend time with it, get up, and say goodbye. I don't push it away, I own it. And because I own it, I let it go."

-Carolina Zacaria

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Max wiped his cheek, making sure to smile through his tears. He sniffled and glanced back at the three teens, who stood wide-eyed in front of him.

The most affected was Ivan, he could tell. Ivan hid his shaky palm behind his back, but he noticed it.

"B-But... b-but what about the calls you got?"

Max was surprised at Elena's tone. He never thought he'd hear her stuttering.

He breathed deeply, knowing that he had to answer all their questions. He had to tell them. "I lied."

"Who was it?" Kate asked, her voice softer than usual.

He noticed her blinking rapidly, probably not wanting to cry in front of him.

But how would sympathy over his situation, soothe him anymore? He had spent uncountable nights awake when the sorrow stifled him.

"My aunt... that's the only person who resembles my mom." He sniffled again, frustrated that he sounded like a little boy in front of them.

They didn't have to know, he would have never told them.

He only did it so that Ivan would appreciate his mom. Though Mrs. C was overprotective, weird with her demands, and nosy, she loved Ivan nonetheless.

Ivan came closer to him, hugged him gently, and patted his back.

Max handed the marigolds enclosed in his palm to Kate, who looked at them with a frown.

The way Ivan embraced him, made him feel like a father. Ivan's hold felt slippery and he could hear him choking back a sob.

He patted Ivan's back, hoping that he'd feel better.

That was what he had been doing--helping others overcome their grief, in turn feeling at peace at least for some time.

The twins hugged him as soon as Ivan moved away. Together, their weight seemed to be crushing him, but that wasn't what demanded attention.

Their hug instilled more hope in his heart. The way they prolonged it seemed that they wanted to glue together his broken self.

The way they hugged him, made him feel that they too had experienced massive grief in their lives.

He felt his tears weren't the cause of theirs. It was rather the fact that they knew what pain felt like.

When they pulled away, their eyes stared into his. One pair seemed like a dark night lit up with stars, while the other put the sun to shame.

"Buddy, why didn't you share this with me?" Ivan's voice was cracked.

That guy, who seemed like a little boy trapped in a teen's body, always strived to appear manly.

But today, this wasn't the case.

He knew a huge blow had hit Ivan--moms weren't permanent; they weren't meant to be taken for granted.

Max shook his head and wiped Ivan's cheeks. He raised his wet palm, Ivan's baby blue eyes following the movement. "That's why."

Max wiped his own cheeks, surprised that his tears were still falling. "My sorrow is my sorrow. I don't want to burden anyone's life with it."